Rainfall
by Neko Neko no Mi
Summary: Juvia lived alone. Juvia only had the rain. Juvia was the only person who liked Juvia. Until he came and became her family, that is. OC-centric. Takes place before canon.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE.**

New original character - centric fic!  
This story follows the lives of my OC and Juvia as they grow and get stronger and, eventually, meet the Fairy Tail mages.  
This fic will be heavy on the development and progression made by the characters.  
This was not betaed nor cleaned up properly so please forgive me for the grammatical errors that are sure to appear.  
Comments and ideas are welcome! Thank you!

·

·

 _Juvia's POV._

·

The water ran down the streets like rivers flooding. The sky was a dreary sight, dark clouds and flashing lightning.

Few remained in the open, seeking refuge from the weather under whatever bit of shielding they could find, or returning to their cozy homes.

Fewer still could bear the brunt of the storm without a bother.

But Juvia had never been normal, at least no-one had ever said as much, and rain was precisely one of the few things she could say had always been with her.

At twelve years old she knew enough about the world and the people who inhabited it that the idea of being someday accepted and treated like one of the rest had slowly become nothing more than an ostentatious dream of hers. Something to muse about when alone and lonely.

She has lost hope somewhere along the way.

Juvia was a rain mage, and since a young age, rain has always accompanied her. In the orphanage the other kids would taunt and bully her for that. Called her gloomy, depressing, dull- they made her cry often.

No-one would play with her. No-one wanted to be friends with such a freak.

But it was not something she knew how to control. Even her first memories, where she'd be three or four years old at most, were filled with rain.

After she joined Phantom Lord her reputation took another hue. Her magic was powerful, wild, not something to laugh at but instead, something to fear.

Suddenly it was a thing to be proud of.

It made Juvia sad because not even that could make other kids like her more.

In the Guild there were very few playmates available, most too old or too scared of her.

Her quick rise through ranks hadn't gone over well with the few age-appropriate mages in the Guild. Jealousy was an ugly trait.

After some tries to introduce herself, all of them ending terribly wrong, she stopped trying.

She had better things to do, anyway. Work at Phantom Lord was never scarce, at least for mages of her level, and she soon got used to coming and going from job to job. There was little time to socialize.

Did she still feel lonely? Sure, but there was little she could do to change her fate.

·

·

In the space inside the magic bag she always carried with her were the umbrella and that day job's reward, safely held until she could arrive at Phantom Lord and put aside the Guild's share.

She didn't expect much struggle in the way there. It was storming pretty badly, but that was in no way a hazard to her. Someone could try to rob her, like they sometimes did when she was travelling the countryside alone. A little girl all by herself was, most of the time, considered an easy target.

But the people of Oak Town had come to know her on sight these last two years.

She was surprised when a scream reached her ears.

It was raining so hard that for a moment she thought she might have imagined it, but a second grunt and whimper alerted her to the fact that something odd was happening near.

Two alleys down her previous thoughts of Oak Town being a peaceful and safe haven were shattered when she found a group of men kicking down a fallen child.

Dark hair made darker by the water no doubt chilling to the bone, arms held protectively before his face, clothes torn and bloody- this was the scene she came upon.

Without a word, the water falling from the roofs and leaking on the small alley rose in tendrils and clashed like whips on the men. Shouts and swears could be heard but Juvia was more concerned on the poor child curled up against the wall than in some bastard adults. Her water quickly silenced them.

Threats disposed of, the child slowly unfolded from his previous position. Bruises were already peeking around his bare arms. Under a bush of dark hair shiny black eyes surrounded by beautiful eyelashes came into view.

Juvia stood without words. The boy was the prettiest thing she had ever come across.

"W-who are you? How did you do that?"

His voice, too, was beautiful. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

"Juvia is a mage. Juvia can control water."

She said, as close to stuttering as she had been in a long time.

"Are you alright? Juvia was worried!"

The boy nodded his head, sniffing slightly. With the back of a hand he unsuccessfully tried to clean his tears.

Now that she could see him better Juvia realized that she had been wrong about his age. He was no child, standing taller than her by a large margin, but no adult either. She guessed that he could be, perhaps, two years or so older than her.

"I'm okay now. Thank you."

He bit his lip, staring at the ground between them. He appeared to be struggling.

"I don't have a name."

"No name!?"

Juvia couldn't believe her ears. Her hands wrapped against his. What a sad thing! What a terrible thing!

"Juvia will give you a name! Nobody should live without a name!"

·

 _Boy's POV._

·

The air got stuck on his chest, he didn't know how to reply. He didn't know how to react to that. Never had the boy met such a kind person. Tears came back to his eyes.

"You- you will?"

Her hands were warm, if wet, but in that moment there was not a thing he didn't cherish about her. This fantastical person that came from nowhere and saved his life. It was the first time he came across such goodness. She was a light in the darkness.

"Storm! Your name should be storm, because Juvia found you in one!"

The newly christened Storm felt a hole he didn't know was there fill with warmth. He gathered the mage within his arms and hugged with all his worth. He was so happy.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Soon he was crying on her shoulder as she cradled him close.

·

 _Juvia's POV._

·

As she hugged Storm lovingly, she could help but think of what sort of life he might have lead until then, to not have something as important as a name to himself. Even orphans carried with them the last vestiges of their family in their names.

She shuddered in horror. Juvia feared knowing but she feared the scenarios her mind conjured even more.

A child all alone in the world, abused, forced to survive in the streets, repudiated by those who should have helped him.

"Don't worry, Juvia is now here! You won't be alone anymore!"

She promised.

She would not let anything bad happen to Storm.

Juvia had given him a name, after all, that made her practically his mother!

That he was in fact older than her mattered little! You only named things you wanted to keep, even she knew that!

·

·

 _End of chapter one._


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO.**

The surprising meeting between the two protagonists continues into the night. Promises are made, discoveries too.  
Please forgive the possible grammar errors and I hope you enjoy the update!  
Comments and/or ideas are welcome! Thank you!

·

·

·

Dawn found them sitting in the only couch of Juvia's living room, surrounded by the warm glow of light lacrimas.

In the water mage's hands a cotton ball soaked in a basic healing potion for burns and bruises was delicately applied to the many scratches that littered Storm's body. From torn palms to handprinted bruises.

Juvia's emergency medical kit was filled only with the basics, since her magic protected her from most wounds. She had never had to use it before that moment. But she was glad to be prepared. Storm seemed to not notice or care about his wounds but she thought they looked painful.

When the potion finished working there would be no evidence left of the injuries of that day. The thought summoned a smile to her face. She had never looked after anyone, not even a pet or stray cat. It felt good, to care. She was proud of herself in that moment.

·

·

The recently named Storm, on the other hand, was still staring- stunned- at his saviour. Everything to the hue of her hair to the soft upturn of her lips was saved to memory.

The feeling of her hand in his, on the way to her house. He would treasure it. He would treasure every second of every moment he spent at her side.

Watching her careful treatment of his person, the focus she had to cure each of his injuries, he wondered what made her do that. What she saw in him, to deserve this much.

She was a mage. That was made clear back in the alley. But it made their current situation all that harder to understand. Mages never helped without a recompense, that he knew.

In his experience, mages looked down on those who didn't use magic, some used their powers to take advantage of the weak. Street rats like him were often targets.

Storm didn't rightly know what happened to those that disappeared from the streets, only that he didn't get to see any of them again.

He had never been a hero-type, so he didn't bother to wonder on it. If he saw someone being tricked, he thought it was just how things were, some were just fated to be the victims. When it had been him the one stuck in bad situations, he knew that he wouldn't be getting help. Even street kids kept their distance from each other. Getting involved would just come to bite you in the ass, sooner or later. Such was the way of life.

He had been so used to that reality that now the fact that a mage was kind to him was a true shock. It felt akin to witnessing a miracle with his own eyes. A blessed person.

He didn't know how he could ever repay her. The warmth spreading across his chest hadn't diminished a bit.

He was so happy. Somehow, a well of protectiveness had risen up inside him. He had nothing to compare it to, but this feeling that wrapped around him so tightly, he wanted to keep it always with him.

The towel she had so thoughtfully lend him as they entered the flat was now dry against his neck, the heat of the light lacrima seated in the table had dried off all the water they'd been dripping in.

It was cozy, this place. This person.

·

·

The potion had finished working, she could tell.

The boy looked no longer haggard and bruised, but safe and healthy, in the soft lightning of the room.

His hair the darkest black she had seen in a person, almost melted into his skin. A smooth tan, with a few freckles across his cheeks and nose. Like a small view of the night sky. And his eyes, they hadn't stopped looking at her, they were beautiful eyes too. Black and warm and inviting.

"Are you hungry?" She wondered. "I can bring you something to eat."

"It- It's fine, Juvia-sama, I'm fine like this." He smiled at her.

It was a very nice smile. One she had seen children giving their parents, siblings giving their older brothers- her heart squirmed in delight.

It was the first time she had a guest in her home. She didn't quite know how to act. But it was, it was sort of peaceful. Sitting there in the couch, side by side, not having to force herself into a conversation. Just enjoying the silence together.

It made her feel close to him.

With a forwardness she didn't know she possessed, Juvia grabbed his hand again.

"You can stay with Juvia tonight." She blushed a little. "If you want to."

He looked surprised. Awed, an amazed light glittering in dark eyes.

"Yes." Storm whispered, feeling almost overwhelmed. She was so generous... She was everything he didn't believe existed in this world. "I don't know how to repay all you've done for me, Juvia-sama. But I promise I will do my best to try."

The water mage smiled at that. What a sweet promise. It wasn't needed, of course, she didn't need payment for something she'd done with pleasure. For something she'd done with conviction. Preying on the weak was a heartless thing, and she was glad to be rid of the trash that had been hounding him.

"Just knowing you are okay is good enough, Storm." She replied, tone fond.

Now that she knew him a little better than just a glimpse in an alleyway, Juvia knew that saving him from a beating was one of the lesser things she'd do for him.

Without her realizing, she had become very attached to him. In only a few hours, he felt as if he had always been there with her.

·

·

Storm couldn't help thinking on his past and comparing it to the present. The situation couldn't be more otherworldly if it tried.

From the first memories he recalled as child, to the years spent living alone in the forest, to the trip that caused him to be stuck on the city and living in the streets, nothing had ever come close to the calm and homey atmosphere that seemed to gather around Juvia.

To his eyes, she was the embodiment of goodness.

It sparkled a drive to prove himself worthy of her regard, of his new name, of her kindness.

He wanted to be the one to aid her. To be the one to protect her in a future occasion.

With a sunny optimism and drive that was unusual in him, Storm wondered if it was right to strive to be at her side.

·

·

"Tomorrow you can come with me to the Guild." She exclaimed suddenly. "I'm sure they'll welcome you there like they did with me!"

Juvia was inspired. If Master Jose had taken her in, she was positive that the same thing could be possible for Storm. He didn't deserve to be alone. She would make sure.

Storm watched her from under his eyelashes. Like many people in Earthland he had been born with the potential to use magic, but as he grew up he found that the means and the resources needed to practice and learn magic were hard to come by for someone like him.

He had met others capable of magical feats, but none that could boast of a magical education, or a firm control on their abilities. They couldn't be called mages.

The country had many Guilds, and many more mages, but the truth was that some magic types could only be used by those taught and specifically trained in them, some were Lost, some were learnt through careful study of ancient books and inherited connections, and some were simply affinities one was born with.

If Storm was one, it'd be the latter. He had some uncontrolled bursts of magical power when he was a child, and they somewhat resembled a bolt of light that blinded those near, or a sharp flash of heat coming from his hands, but he had never managed to use it properly. Only when he was in peril, but even in dangerous situations it was not something he could rely on.

For him magic had been a disappointment.

However, in light of recent events, he was rethinking that thought.

If Juvia could, then so would he. No matter what he had to do, what he had to endure- if it means he could be with her, nothing could stop him.

Becoming part of a Guild, that seemed like a dream to him, but he would no longer let anything stand in his way.

Juvia was his most precious person. The one he'd decided he would devote his life to, since she deserved nothing else. He would follow her anywhere.

He would master his magic, and grow strong. Strong enough to one day stand side by side with Juvia.

This, he swore.

·

·

 _End of chapter two._


End file.
